carsen. >>there's a lot of soldiers out there, you know, including myself, that weren't prepared to be faced with certain life situations, you know? but throw ptsd in there and you've got a really bad situation. (kaj)as for jesse, he continues to spend his days at the oregon state hospital. his lawyer has complained that in the six months he's been there, he has yet to receive proper treatment for his ptsd.

>> jennifer: i'm jennifer granholm. tonight on in "the war room," the gun safety debate is still being waged and it's still in the public's consciousness. it's something but it's far from enough. theme [♪ theme music ♪] >> jennifer: let's start tonight in a little store in riverdale,

illinois, called chuck's gun shop. chuck's gun shop sells ammunition and guns including ber ret tas, glocks pistols shotguns. it's just a few miles from chicago, and since 2008 more than 1300 guns that were confiscated came from this one shop. there is not a single gunshot or gun range inside of the city limits of chicago. but shops like chuck's gun shop can sell guns without restriction, so chicago continues to struggle with a wave of violence filed by these outside guns flooding into the city. 6,000 guns came into chicago just from suburban illinois in the last five years.

more have some from neighboring indiana, and thousands more have come there mississippi, which has some of the loosest gun laws in the nation. of the 20,000 guns confiscated in chicago in the last decades one in ten game from mississippi. so how successful can the local laws be in the absence of a national strategy. >> obama: i wanted to first start off by expressing my concern and sympathy to congressman rush for the recent tragedy where his son got shot. our prayers are with him, and i'm hoping that everything turns out for the best there. >> jennifer: and tragically congressman rush's son died.

he was just 29 years old, killed by two gunmen on the streets of chicago. this year, now president obama addressed the same issue at his second inauguration. >> obama: our journey is not complete until all of our children from the streets of detroit to the hills of appalachia to the quiet lanes of newtown know that they are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm. >> jennifer: sadly our children are not safe from harm. in fact, a 15-year-old girl who performed at that inauguration was killed yesterday by a shooter in chicago. she was shot in the back as she huddled under a canopy in a park seeking protection from a rain storm. she was only a mile from the president's home on chicago's south side. unbelievable.

and from the streets of chicago to the halls of congress the debate continued today as wayne lapierre testified in senate hearings on gun violence. a question to wayne lapierre, dick durbin pointed directly to chuck's gun store. >> purchasers buy the guns there and they end up in the hands of criminals in chicago. we have to put an end to this. mr. lapierre some of your colleagues tell me senator you don't get the amendment. do you agree with that? >> if you look at why our founding fathers put it there is they lived under the tyranny of king george. >> jennifer: so there needs to be more guns in chicago to

protect the citizens from the government, in this case the police who are trying to keep them safe. all of this in the name of freedom? what about a 15-year-old's freedom from being shot on the way home from school. then the senator responded. >> well, chief johnson you have heard it. the belief of the nra is the second amendment has to give american citizens the fire power to fight back against you. so how do you conduct your business in enforcing the law in not knowing what is behind that door? >> i find it to be scary, creepy, and simply just not based on logic. >> jennifer: it's based on fantasy and fear mongering but that never stopped the opposition before, and it is not

going to now. they keep pushing the nra argument that citizens need to be completely armed to protect themselves against the tyrannical government, and not just to protect themselves from police, but also in case the police can't be there to protect them. and why wouldn't the police be there? maybe because of the budget cuts, the same budget cuts that have been pushed for before republicans across the country. here is south carolina republican senator, lindsey graham on this subject. >> the reason i'm going to oppose the legislation, chief johnson, is because i respect what you do as a law enforcement officer. has your budget been cut? >> yes. >> do you think it will be cut in the future? >> i'm optimistic that it will not. >> i hope you are right, but i can tell you and people throughout this land because of

the fiscal crisis we're in there will be less police officers than more over the next decade. >> jennifer: so they will arm citizens because of budget cuts pushed for by his party. and while congress continues to debate nonsense the number of people killed in this country by guns keeping mounting. as of today, more than 1400 people have died by gun violence since nowtown. and right in the middle of the hear came of yet another mass shooting. >> while we were having this hearing, and we certainly don't know the details, but in phoenix, arizona there is another what seems to be possibly a shooting with multiple victims. >> jennifer: the most recent reports from that are they six

people were injured, one person was killed and the gunman is still at large. and if that doesn't compel congress to act, perhaps this message from one of their own will. >> we must do something. it will be hard but the time is now. >> jennifer: joining me now to discuss the hearings today on gun laws is john rosenthal, founder of stop handgun violence. he is coming to us from west newton, massachusetts, john welcome back inside "the war room." >> thank you jennifer >> jennifer: how effective can state and local laws be when federal laws are still so weak. >> massachusetts has proven you can be pretty darn effective. we have the most comprehensive

gun flaws the nation. we're an urban industrial state. we have the lowest firearm fatality rate in the nation. and we border states that don't require background checks. but the bad news jen, like you said, it's virtually the equivalent of a 9/11 attack every month and a half to two months in america. a classroom every three days is emptied from gun violence, and we are hearing that it is hard for members of congress to require a background check for gun sales? you need a background check to be a little league coach. but you don't need a background check to buy thousands of

assault weapons from dealers every day if you want. and as a hunter -- duck hunters agree, and you get a license to duck hunt and you have to put plugs in your gun so only three rounds are in your gun to protect ducks. but congress says you can have a hundred round clip in your bush master? that's insane. >> jennifer: you put this out in such stark terms. you are an incredibly powerful and persuasive advocate for this point, but you are up against it my friend, because senator grassley said today . . . do you think that there has been

a shift since newtown, that there are republicans i know there are gun owners who are concerned -- first of all the republicans are concerned they will lose their edge on this issue. >> well, i am somewhat hopeful that we, the american people including gun owners are going to flood the congress with calls and letters and emails, and if congress doesn't at we're going to change congress in two years but it's outrageous when you see wayne lapierre say arming schools is the solution. the nra leadership speaks for one entity and that is the unrestricted, unregulated gun industry, the smith ands we sons, the bushmasters. they do not even speak for their own membership. because when their own membership are polled 75% of gun

owners in the nra support background checks -- >> jennifer: so why aren't you creating a group of moderate gun owners who are willing to push this. we need gun owners who are willing to stand up against the nra who is espousing that it is the voice for all rational gun owners? >> well, we have done exactly that. we proved that worked in missouri. we helped claire mccaskill get elected on exactly this platform. i met at the white house with members of national conservation and sportsman groups. they don't have a problem with background tracks or a ban on high-capacity ammunition clips which are used in all of the mass shootings, and they are going to weigh in. the american people have to weigh in. and we have to hold our congress accountable, because they

frankly, you know, think it's a higher priority to cut police budgets, to -- you know supposedly deal with this debt ceiling -- the last time i checked, 87 americans did not die from the fiscal cliff or the debt ceiling. they are dying from unrestricted access to guns and congress is to blame. >> jennifer: give us some hope. if you have to put your prognosticating hat on, which of the measures are going to get through this congress? will there be an assault weapons ban, background checks and a ban on high-capacity magazines. >> if general mccrystal continues to speak out that these are designed for war and maximum body damage, not for a civilized society, we might get that ban on assault weapons. we should get a universal

background check for all gun sales so it's harder for criminals, the mentally ill and terrorist groups that come to u.s. gun shows because they can buy assault weapons without a background check in this country, we should be able to get that. the ban on high-capacity ammunition clips is just common sense. we should get consumer protection standards like we have for toy guns but not real guns and then lindsay graham is so disingenuous -- he has done everything possible to restrict law enforcement's ability to keep track of who has guns. in fact the fbi has to by law absolutely destroy gun purchase records after 24 hours, and those are the ones that come from gun dealers. and the atf reported that in the year 2000, 1% of federally licensed gun dealers, like the

dirt bag dealer just outside of chicago, responsible for selling 57% of guns traced to crime, you would think congress would say go get the bad dealers, instead they said atf you can't share that information anymore and if you do, you go to jail not the dirty dealers. that's what we're up against. and the public not weighing in. the president had it exactly right. the public must call and demand -- >> jennifer: you, sir, are going to be the president of the association of responsible gun owners. >> sounds good. >> jennifer: john rosenthal, founder of stop handgun violence. still to come, unrest in egypt we hear that phrase a lot lately, and finding a solution will be job one for john kerry.

and trust me trying to remake the military while cutting its budget is no less difficult to pass, and unrest in the republican party. well, at least can smile about that one. the latest strategy? act more like democrats. it's "the war room" on a wednesday. we're just getting started.

but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel.

enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections tuberculosis lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores have had hepatitis b have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biologic medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. alright, in 15 minutes we're going to do the young turks. i think the number one thing that viewers like about the young turks is that we're honest. they know that i'm not bs'ing them with some hidden

agenda, actually supporting one party or the other. when the democrats are wrong, they know that i'm going to be the first one to call them out. they can question whether i'm right, but i think that the audience gets that this guy, to the best of his ability, is trying to look out for us. >> jennifer: the republican party's quixotic quest to rebrand itself landed on the rnc youtube channel today. a short video called a growing modern republican party just sort of got my attention. what was a modern republican party look like compared to the 2012 group? the video actually features rnc

chairman, reince priebus, who lead those 2012 efforts. >> we can stand by our timeless principals and articulate them in ways that are modern relative to our time and relatable to the majority of voters. it doesn't matter where you live, who you are, what you look like, or what your last name is, because we're going to be the party for everybody, everywhere across america. [ laughter ] >> jennifer: i'm not even sure what to say. i wonder if that is what you call putting lipstick on a pig. but it was really nice of them to throw in that last name line in time for immigration reform. maybe. maybe. will these republicans be help to president obama's fight for immigration and gun laws.

for more on that we have two of our favorite democratic strategists, chair of the california democratic party women's caucus, and karen skelton. she worked in the clinton white house and on the gore campaign and has her own strategy firm. thank you guys for coming in. >> our pleasure. >> jennifer: i was saying before i really wish we had a glass of wine, we could talk about this. karen what do you think about the efforts of the republicans to rebrand themselves? >> you -- you can be modern but when your policy is that birth control is about putting an aspirin between your knees it's not going to cut it. >> jennifer: but the new republican party is going to be what? pro birth control? >> well, you mentioned immigration, they need that to win. and romney got 20% less of the latino vote than bush did. they have to fix that problem

and they are going to have to go after it. >> jennifer: and i think we should take it even if it's for the wrong reason. will rebranding help in other areas? it doesn't appear to be helping in gun safety. >> you're not going to go from med men to modern family with one commercial. [ laughter ] >> and what we're hearing are people saying why should we get rid of our conservative principals on immigration for the wake of only losing by 20%. there are people who say we need to get with the times and represent everyone in this country, and those who say, no we don't. so what we have to say going forsword there are three groups of republicans. some will never compromise with the president. some might find a way to do that

in coalition and then the middle group are the people who are going to issue what you call a soft objection -- >> jennifer: and can they be brought around? >> they can be brought around slowly, but they will allow a vote to come through on the fiscal cliff for example. so there are people who understand that without latinos and asians they are going to lose in 2014. those are the people we have to get to on immigration. there are those who have moderate republican swing suburban voters who want gun safety, and we can get to them too. >> jennifer: i agree. >> and i completely agree with everything christine said and women too. republicans have to organize from the communities into washington. washington is not going to do the job for us. the one thing that gay rights

immigration, energy and immigration policy have in common is they are moving from the outside toward washington. >> jennifer: exactly. christine i do think that women are going to be a big reason why we are seeing the modernization of not just the republican party but of washington if you will. emily's list identified a number of seats they are targeting. so let's see we have shelley moore capito rodney davis, and others. do you think the solution is fewer house republicans or just more women? >> i think a combination of both. let's remember in 2006 there were 11 women who lost by less than 5% of the vote and one big reason they lost was the lack of

money, so with emily's list going early that will help them. the second was they lost on immigration, because people believed they would be softer on providing benefits. >> jennifer: and it's wholesome because when women are at the table, women's issues get addressed. we have house republicans who are going to be taking violence against women up, and the question is will it pass? >> another issue like immigration. democrats want it because it's the right thing to do and republicans want it because they need it. >> jennifer: is it going to pass? >> i think it has a good chance of passing. [ overlapping speakers ] >> they have to put those visas for battered immigrant women back into immigration reform

because they shouldn't be made to suffer. >> jennifer: exactly. okay. separate question, deval patrick appointed his chief of staff to fill in the slot vacated by senator kerry. you had a funny story about that. >> it's very interesting. the day that scott brown won people said deval patrick, it's over for you. his polling was in like the 30s. and he turned it around, and his chief of staff helped him do that. he realized he had to go back and talk to the people be focused on the economy, and he did it and turned it around so i think he will be a very good voice for the middle class, and i think he will do a very good job in the interim. >> jennifer: yes, and you know he is only going in for a short

amount of time. >> yeah. and deval patrick is a fantastic person. we worked with him in the justice person. he is a man that understands the people, the real life practical impact of government on people and i love his choice. >> jennifer: i can't wait to see where he goes next. >> yes. >> jennifer: all right you guys thank you for coming in. and coming up if these images right here concern you. just imagine how john kerry feels. the situation in egypt has turned combustible, and it's far from the only country in the region we can say that about. that story is next.

>> jennifer: you are back inside "the war room." i'm jennifer granholm. there will be no honey moon for john kerry. he is going to assume his post tomorrow, and he is going to

immediately have to deal with several middle east flash points, like civil war in syria, iran and its nuclear programs as well as the unrest in egypt. more than 60 people have died there in the past week during clashes between the government and those opposing it. the violence comes as egypt is marking the second anniversary of the terrir square protest. mori is making calls for a unified government. and he is placing three cities under a state of emergency. and those cities all have a strong opposition to him. coming to us tonight coming to us tonight university of california at berkeley for the latest on the

crisis in egypt and what it means for you is nezar alsayyad. thank you for joining us. >> it's a pleasure to be with you. >> jennifer: tell our viewers why what happened in far-away egypt should matter to them. >> egypt has always been one of the most important countries in the region. it is the only country that has managed to keep its peace with israel for a substantial period of time. and by and large we haven't seen much activity except in the fights between hamas and israel, and ands he bu la and israel. so we are definitely very much invested in the situation in egypt, and in a peaceful egypt that we can continue to cooperate with. >> jennifer: right. we certainly do want to see a peaceful egypt.

you could give in coming secretary of state john kerry advice, what would you say to him? >> i think the course that has been chartered bisek tear clinton and president obama participate, in terms of dealing with president morsi have been a very, very wise course and i think we have seen that particularly in light of the events that occurred around the attack on the american embassy in cairo during the same time there was an attack in benghazi. and by and large this strategy of accepting morsi as president is the only way america can go in this reward. we can't afford to lose another country to the islamists, and we did with iran in 1979.

however, the only thing i am able to say, and i think secretary kerry is probably going to be very aware of this situation. there is a perception in the entire region that the american government is very comfortable with the islamists, that it has made a deal with the muslim brotherhood to allow them to come to power, and hence this is making the opposition feel that they have been betrayed by the americans who have always stood in favor of secularist ideas. so the only thing i would say to secretary kerry is it would be important to stand up to morsi when he crosses the line, and he certainly has done so. >> jennifer: what has morsi done to so anger these large factions of his country? >> he has done a number of things consistently since his election. he has very carefully, deliberately managed to

literally move all institutions of government in egypt from bureaucrats, into the hands of people that are a part of his party, the freedom and justice party. and i think that attempt to do so culminated on the fourth passage of the constitution that is so flawed that denies specific civil rights whether to women, or minority groups or even to individuals who may not necessarily belong to the sunni faction if you will of islam and egypt. he had managed to do so despite tremendous opposition including those who voted him into office.

>> jennifer: because there has been this opposition if things continue to disintegrate, there was a point where the military was viewed as a viable option by the egyptian people. how would today the egyptian people react to a government run by the army. >> i think it would be a very divisive system. the secularists who were against the military today are obviously willing to live with a military regime over a muslim brotherhood regime. however, there is also that danger that in a sense that morsi is an elected president. he was elected by a very tiny majority, but he still came to power through the democratic

process. his refusal to work with the opposition has been the problem. he feels it is fine for a country to be run by 52% of the vote even if it means railroading every institution into a muslim brotherhood agenda. >> jennifer: interesting. thank you so much for coming inside "the war room." the university of california at berkeley for the latest on the crisis in egypt and what it means for you is nezar alsayyad thanks so much. up next the pentagon is going to cut his budget which means it will lose private sector jobs and revenue. any volunteers to take the hit? i don't think so. one reason i don't envy the path facing our second secretary of defense.

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>> jennifer: all right. let's head down to los angeles and see what cenk uygur and "the young turks" have in store. >> i have some strong feelings about the hearings in the senate about gun control. >> jennifer: i'm shocked. >> i know. but we have two great guests on a former gun lobbyist for the nra who turned on them. he'll explain that today on the show. and then we have a form nra member who quit in disgust over

the position the nra is holding on these gun-control legislation, because they are way too extreme. and then we have a story about how the city of oakland is spending so much more money on the raiders than they are on cops, and the results that is having. a young mother from oakland says she is afraid to have a young black boy in oakland. and we have a filmmaker that made a movie about how they are crying to create creationism in texas. >> jennifer: wow. sounds like a jam-packed night. all right. we'll be watching at the top of the hour. thanks, cenk. >> thank you. >> jennifer: chuck hagel will face some tough questions tomorrow. he has been nominated for secretary of defense and the neo-cons are not thrilled about the prospect of hagel heading up the military because they are

concerned that he won't protect the defense budget from the sharp spending cuts that are expected with the ending of the wars in iraq and afghanistan, and the looming threat of the sequester, those cuts could slash the pentagon's budget -- here is what the pentagon's budget is $553 billion and the sequester would slash that budget by $50 billion this year. so the pentagon is looking into what areas it could cut from maintenance on warships to military base operations. last friday the pentagon announced layoffs for 46,000 contract and temporary civilian employees. 46,000. so if chuck hagel makes it through this mine field of senate confirmation questions, he'll inherit another challenge which is how to manage and advocate on behalf of a gigantic

government department that believes it has been reduced to scrounging for change. joining me tonight to talk about this is fred kaplan, fred is the author of a terrific new book about general petraeus called "the insuragainst." fred. thank for joining me. >> thank you. >> jennifer: what could we do to cut defense spending that would still leave us prepared for future conflicts? in light of the sequester, et cetera, what do we need to do -- how do we need to focus the cuts. >> on the see questation this was a deal that congress made. everybody would be faced with the same pressure. the defense budget is going to be cut quite a bit no matter what happens because of the fiscal pressures and the fact

that we're no longer in two wars. we're in sort of half a war instead of two full wars and always there is no need to hang on to as big of budget as you have once the war is over. there are some things that could be cut, for example, we are still spending something like $20 billion on our nuclear weapon's force. we're about to spend more money on two new conventional nuclear powered submarines. do you really need that? if you need two, can't we convert one nuclear submarine into a non-nuclear. there are lots of things. the sequestration, though if that does happen it is an axe chop. you have to cut a lot of people because the quickest things you

spend is salaries. therefore, the quickest thing you can save is cutting salaries. >> jennifer: and a lot of these projects have been in the pipeline and under design and billed for a long period of time. >> right. >> jennifer: so just cutting them may not be realistic. >> and there are cancellation fees you would have to pay on top of that. >> jennifer: i would like to listen to a sound bite that chuck hagel gave about this cut. many of his critic are fearful he is going to cut the budget with an axe. one was a statement he made in 2011. >> the defense department i think, in many ways has been bloated. let's look at the reality here. the defense department has gotten everything it has wanted the last ten years, and more. >> jennifer: so i'm just curious about the new frame that we're

in, with us drawing down on the boots on the ground if you were advising the president and chuck hagel, where would you tell him in this new realm we're in to invest? >> again, the see see -- sequestration scenario is a separate issue. again, nuclear weapons we can cut back on a lot. the real problem is the army. the army i think will take on the big brunt of the defense cuts. russia is not about to invade western europe. if we get into a war with china, that is not going to be a ground war. so what is the mission of the army? that -- that's a real crisis that the army is facing. and you can cut a lot by cutting

say 100,000 troops from the army. and rightly or wrongly, that's where -- the army is going to assume an enormous share of the brunt here. >> jennifer: it all will require a culture change and your book talks about david petraeus' plot to change the military from within. because of your reporting on this, how difficult is it to change the culture of the department of defense in light of all of the research you did for your book? >> it's extremely difficult. petraeus succeeded because it was a unique moment. large organizations -- and the military is one of the largest [ inaudible ] in the world -- large organizations tend to change and make themselves open to revolutions in times of catastrophe. 2005 2006 there was a catastrophe in iraq. there was a willingness to

change the way they were operating. there really isn't a catastrophe now. wars are winding down. there's a fiscal catastrophe, but -- and the military is going to have to take on some of that but there will be a fight -- there will be fights within the pentagon between the army, navy air force, over who will take the brunt of the spending cuts. in the 1950s when eisenhower put a sharp limit on overall defense spending there was tremendous conflict, the air force and the navy viewed each other the same way we view the communist. >> jennifer: that's what this is so fascinating. you indicate the plot to change the american way of war. a guy like petraeus had to change a great deal.

i appreciate you coming our own war room fred kaplan. coming up a special lbgt ed decision of the best of the rest. to remove grease, gunk and flakes. deep. like me. [ male announcer ] head & shoulders deep clean for men. ♪ ♪

>> jennifer: now for a look at the best of the rest the stories i don't want you progressives to miss on this wednesday evening. tonight we're lbgt themed. on this date in 1961 jfk gave his fist state of the union address, and he talked about the economy, our role in the world and equality. take a listen. >> the denial of constitutional rights to some of our fellow americans on account of race at the ballot box and elsewhere disturbed the national conscious, and subjects us to the charge of world opinion that our democracy is not equal to the high promise of our

heritage. >> jennifer: now our two-term black president is stepping up and asking for equality for all. the white house released its immigration proposals and it calls for lawmakers to treat same-sex couples in which one partner is an immigrant the same as straight couples, and that means gay immigrants could apply for citizenship. it should come as no surprise that republicans are balking. lindsay graham said . . . >> jennifer: abortion is legal, senator. ♪ deep in my heart, i do believe we shall overcome some day ♪ >> jennifer: all right. remember the don't say gay bill from the tennessee legislature. it dayed in the legislature.

well it's back. this time state senator stacey campfield included a tattle tail clause. it would require school employees to tell parents if their kids are gay. that is tragic and it is cruel. lbgt kids often face alien nation at home when they come out or are forced out. 40% of homeless youth are lbgt 40%, and family rejection is the leading cause. however, the epa has a message for all of the lbgt youth out there in tennessee or not. it gets better. they published a video supporting lbgt rights it's a part of dan savage's it gets

better project. >> being openly gay at epa has been so much easier than i ever thought. >> when i came to epa to work full-time, i made the decision right away that i was going to be out from the minute that i got here. i didn't want to start this important part of my life in the closet again. >> jennifer: there will always be misguided people like the senator from tennessee, but there will also be a whole lot of people who are kind and welcoming like dan savage and the epa. and it doesn't get much better than that. or maybe it does. remember the 60 sitcom gomer pile? jim neighbors told hawaii news now. we have been together for 38

years, and it was not ashamed of people knowing, it was just such a personal thing that i didn't tell anybody. >> jennifer: they married earlier this month in washington state. congratulations private. and thank you all for joining us in "the war room." hope you have a great night. we'll see you back here tomorrow for our one-year anniversary in "the war room." good night.